ÿþ<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="RSS" href="http://unknownnews.org/RSSfeeds/dailyRSS.xml"> <style type="text/css"><script type="text/javascript">var disqus_iframe_css="http://www.unknownnews.org/disqus-form.css";</script></style> <title>Unknown&nbsp;News | Helen & Harry's cranky weblog of news and opinion | unknownnews@inbox.com </title> <META content="bad cops, civil rights, corrupt cops news, crooked cops, freedom news, liberal news, libertarian news, police blotter, police brutality, police corruption news, police misconduct, progressive news, Fox Lies"name=KEYWORDS> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <style type="text/css"><!--.fontmicro {font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 5px;}--></style> <style type="text/css"><!--.fontbox {font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 8px;}--></style> <style type="text/css"><!--.fonts {font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 6px;}--></style> <style type="text/css"><!--.fontz {font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 8px;}--></style> <style type="text/css"><!--.font10 {font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 8px;}--></style> <style type="text/css"><!--.font11 {font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 9px;}--></style> <style type="text/css"><!--.font12 {font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 10px;}--></style> <style type="text/css"><!--.font13 {font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 11px;}--></style> <style type="text/css"><!--.fontx {font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 11px;}--></style> <style type="text/css"><!--.font14 {font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 12px;}--></style> <style type="text/css"><!--.fontzz {font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 12px;}--></style> <style type="text/css"><!--.fontsm {font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 14px;}--></style> <style type="text/css"><!--.font15 {font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 13px;}--></style> <style type="text/css"><!--.fonttnr {font-family: Times New Roman, Bodoni, Garamond, serif;font-size: 17px;}--></style> <style type="text/css"><!--.fonttnrx {font-family: Times New Roman, Bodoni, Garamond, serif;font-size: 17px;}--></style> <style type="text/css"><!--.fonty {font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 15px;}--></style> <style type="text/css"><!--.fontpq {font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 16px;}--></style> <style type="text/css"><!--.fonta {font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 17px;}--></style> <style type="text/css"><!--.font17 {font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 17px;}--></style> <style type="text/css"><!--.font18 {font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 18px;}--></style> <style type="text/css"><!--.fontxl {font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 24px;}--></style> <!-- 1-80% 2-Danger 3-Destroying 4-EBBV 5-HNMB 6-IB 7-ISN'T THERE SOMETHING 8-BHL 9-LJ 10-NSR-H 11-SOT-BTH 12-YR 13-WWJB 14-IC 15-ION 16-ION (2) 17-BHL (2) 18-LJ (2) 19-WWJB (2) 20-unknownnews 21-unknownnews 22-unknownnews 23-unknownnews 24-wwjb 25-wwjb 26-wwjb 27-wwjb 28-wwjb 29-wwjb 30-Bushisaliar 31-Bushisaliar 32-Bushisaliar--> <SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript"> <!-- Begin // Set up the image files to be used. var theImages = new Array() // do not change this // To add more image files, continue with the // pattern below, adding to the array. theImages[0] = 'stic1.jpg' theImages[1] = 'stic2.jpg' theImages[2] = 'stic3.jpg' theImages[3] = 'stic4.jpg' theImages[4] = 'stic5.jpg' theImages[5] = 'stic6.jpg' theImages[6] = 'stic7.jpg' theImages[7] = 'stic8.jpg' theImages[8] = 'stic9.jpg' theImages[9] = 'stic10.jpg' theImages[10] = 'stic11.jpg' theImages[11] = 'stic12.jpg' theImages[12] = 'stic13.jpg' theImages[13] = 'stic14.jpg' theImages[14] = 'stic15.jpg' theImages[15] = 'stic16.jpg' theImages[16] = 'stic17.jpg' theImages[17] = 'stic18.jpg' theImages[18] = 'stic19.jpg' theImages[19] = 'stic20.jpg' theImages[20] = 'stic21.jpg' theImages[21] = 'stic22.jpg' theImages[22] = 'stic23.jpg' theImages[23] = 'stic24.jpg' theImages[24] = 'stic25.jpg' theImages[25] = 'stic26.jpg' theImages[26] = 'stic27.jpg' theImages[27] = 'stic28.jpg' theImages[28] = 'stic29.jpg' theImages[29] = 'stic30.jpg' theImages[30] = 'stic31.jpg' theImages[31] = 'stic32.jpg' // do not edit anything below this line var j = 0 var p = theImages.length; 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which means, in our time, a dangerous president &mdash; unless there is some national movement to push him in a better direction."</i> <DIV align="right"><I>Howard Zinn</i></div></blockquote> <!-- insert nytimes password --> <A HREF=http://www.unknownnews.org/1002-22.html><font color=black><BIG><B>Getting away with murder, torture, and&nbsp;war&nbsp;crimes&nbsp;by&nbsp;the&nbsp;dozen</B></BIG></font></a> <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; A federal court has ruled that the families of two men who were killed at Guantanamo can't sue. Read this real slow and understand it really well: The court's ruling is that <A HREF="http://www.ccrjustice.org/newsroom/press-releases/ruling%3A-no-court-can-hear-abuse-and-wrongful-death-claims-guantanamo">the dead had no rights and their case can't be heard in federal court</A>, because they had been deemed "enemy combattants" by the Bush-Cheney <A NAME=LATESTNEWS></A><table border="0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="8" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="60%" align="right"><tr><td class="fonta" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="365" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" class="fonta" bgcolor="#CCCCCC"><BR><center><TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="350" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" class="fonta"><iframe src="http://www.unknownnews.org/dailyRSS.html" width="350" height="425" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="auto" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></center></TD></TR></TABLE><TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="345" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" bgcolor="#CCCCCC" class="fontbox"><TABLE CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="8" WIDTH="365" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" bgcolor="#ffffff" class="fontsm"><I>Scroll down or click for more </I><BR><A TARGET="_blank" HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/"><B>unknownnews.org/</B></A> </TD></TR></TABLE></td></tr></table></td></tr></table> administration.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That's a power Barack Obama now claims, which makes me feel a lot less safe and secure here in the "homeland" &mdash; there's no legal process to prevent you or I from being declared "enemy combattants". The constitution does not apply.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "The district court held that the claims were barred by a jurisdiction-stripping provision of the 2006 Military Commissions Act that bars any challenge by a Guantanamo detainee to their treatment, conditions, or any other aspect of their detention, while failing to address the plaintiffs arguments about the unconstitutionality of the provision itself. The court also dismissed the deceased s claims under the Alien Tort Claims Act, following a holding by the D.C. Circuit Court in another detainee case that found that even torture or seriously criminal conduct can fall within the proper 'scope of employment' of a government actor. Last, the court failed to consider the merits of plaintiffs claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act, including for emotional distress by the families, by holding that the U.S. military base at Guantanamo is still a 'foreign country' for the purposes of the Act."<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Hell of a catch, that Catch 22. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; In a federal court hearing involving Saeed Mohammed Saleh Hatim, a long-time prisoner at Guantanamo, the US Justice Department did not contest Hatim's testimony that he had been tortured at Guantanamo, and that <A HREF="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/12/AR2010021204911_pf.html">he made incriminating statements only to make the torture stop</A>. There have been similar assertions, similarly not contested by the Justice Department, in other cases.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As <A HREF="http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20100217/cm_huffpost/465271">Harry Shearer notes</a>, "the essential point here is that the US Justice Department does not dispute that prisoners in American custody have been tortured. Case closed. Literally." <A NAME=STICKER: WHERE'S THE CHANGE?></A><table border="0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="8" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="60%" align="right"><tr><td class="fonta" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><BR><a href=http://www.unknownnews.org/stickers.html><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/CHANGEsticker.jpg" alt="President Obama, where's that 'change' you promised?" border="3" width="350" height="108"></a></td></tr></table> <BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Thus we see again that under Attorney General Eric Holder, the Justice Department does not contest that torture has been committed at Guantanamo, but the Justice Department does not investigate or prosecute these crimes. This in itself is grounds to remove Holder from office, and of course, Holder has turned a blind eye to much more crimes than this &mdash; eight years of criminal conduct at the highest levels of the Bush-Cheney administration. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; Holder's Justice Dept has rejected the recommendations of the Department's ethics investigators, and decided that there will be <A HREF="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/19/AR2010021904157.html?hpid=topnews">not even the tinyest professional punishment for Bush-Cheney officials who wrote documents offering a shroud of legal covering for torture</A> and assorted war crimes up to <A HREF="http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/declassified/archive/2010/02/19/report-bush-lawyer-said-president-could-order-civilians-to-be-massacred.aspx">the massacre of entire villages</a> and the <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/060113a-HerbRuhs.html">crushing of a child's testicles</a>.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It's been a long time coming, but the fix was always in and everyone saw this train pulling into the station. So it's onward to fine legal careers for <A HREF="http://www.nndb.com/people/250/000203638/">Jay Bybee</A> (now a federal judge) and <A HREF="http://www.nndb.com/people/327/000049180/">John Yoo</A> (now a law professor), two names you'll see promptly appointed to higher posts the next time Republicans control the White House, which lord knows won't be long now. And of course, it's an engraved invitation for the next administration &mdash; and this one &mdash; to commit more war crimes, knowing they won't face any consequences.<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; Sen Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) has announced that <A HREF="http://leahy.senate.gov/press/press_releases/release/?id=4b82d77f-8f39-4ee4-bf3d-c196e5d6d028">he'll hold hearings</A> into the above, which means both jack and sh*t. <A NAME=fromDIALOGUE></A><table border="0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="8" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="60%" align="right"><tr><td class="fonta" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=1><TR><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" class="fonta"><center><A TARGET="_blank" HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/dialogue.html"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/dialogue-bubbles.jpg" alt="from recent readers' comments" border="3" width="320" height="179"></a><BR><BR><B><I>From <A TARGET="_blank" HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/dialogue.html">recent readers' comments</a></I></B></center> <center><iframe src="http://www.unknownnews.org/dialoguesnips.html" width="340" height="2000" marginwidth="5" marginheight="5" scrolling="auto" frameborder="0"></iframe></center> </td></tr></table></td></tr></table> <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; The FBI has quietly <A HREF="http://www.kansascity.com/nw/story/1760733.html">closed its alleged investigation into the post-<nobr>9/11</nobr> anthrax attacks</a>. In closing the books on the murder of at least five people, the feds point a finger at the late Bruce Ivins, an anthrax scientists who killed himself in 2008.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And heck, maybe he did do the deed, but I <A HREF="http://www.nndb.com/people/053/000173531/">have my doubts</a>: Ivins' area of expertise was immunization against anthrax &mdash; building better vaccines. Insiders have expressed doubt that he had the knowledge or access to equipment necessary to turn the spores into weaponized anthrax. After his death the family's lawyer said in a press release, "We assert his innocence in these killings, and would have established that at trial." <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; According to a new book, Dick <A HREF="http://rawstory.com/2010/02/book-cheney-pushed-war-russia/">Cheney argued intensely for one more war &mdash; with Russia</A> &mdash; toward the end of his eight years in office. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; Former <FONT COLOR="#cccccc">Vice</FONT> President Dick Cheney has again publicly admitted to war crimes</A>. That's what it is when he says, again, "I was a big supporter of waterboarding."<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://jonathanturley.org/2010/02/15/cheney-i-was-a-big-supporter-of-waterboarding/">Jonathan Turley</a>: "The ability of Cheney to openly brag about his taste for torture is the direct result of President Barack Obama blocking any investigation or prosecution of war crimes. For political reasons, Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder have refused to carry out our clear obligations under international law to prosecute for such waterboarding. Indeed, before taking office, various high-ranking officials stated that both Obama and Holder assured them that they would not allow such prosecutions. While they denied it at the time, those accounts are consistent with their actions following inauguration." <A NAME=terror></A> <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams; Cheney has no respect for truth, justice, or American law, and no respect for the audiences that listen as he lies, which he does whenever he speaks publicly. You know this already, of course, because you're not ignorant, but for the clueless and for TV executives who keep booking Cheney, <A HREF="http://www.slate.com/id/2245172/pagenum/all/#p2">Fred Kaplan explains it in great detail</A> and with far more patience and politeness than the subject deserves. A few selected nuggets from Kaplan's article:<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &bull;&nbsp; From 2001-08, according to the Bush/Cheney Justice Department's own data, 512 individuals were charged with terrorist-related crimes and, as of 2008 (i.e., when Bush was still president), Justice had won 319 convictions. (Most of the remaining cases had yet to come to trial.)<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &bull;&nbsp; Trying alleged terrorists in criminal courts &mdash; treating them in a legal forum as thugs, not soldiers &mdash; in no way precludes the administration from going after their organizations with the full range of the U.S. government's power, as, indeed, Presidents Obama, Clinton, and, yes, George W. Bush have done.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &bull;&nbsp; How many terrorists did the Bush/Cheney administration bring before military tribunals? <I>Three.</i> And only one of them was sentenced to life in prison. The other two were allowed to serve out their sentences at home &mdash; one in Australia, the other <I>in Yemen</i> &mdash; both while Bush was still president.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &bull;&nbsp; Cheney claimed on ABC that "we" (meaning he and George W. Bush) "were successful for seven and a half years in avoiding a further major attack against the United States" precisely because they treated terrorism as a "war" and its practitioners as "enemy combatants." Yet as its own data clearly show, the Bush administration did no such thing. Or, rather, Bush and his Justice Department officials saw no contradiction between fighting a "war on terrorism" while, quite often, trying the terrorists as criminals.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &bull;&nbsp; What Cheney really wants and has repeatedly argued for is a restoration of torture and an evisceration of civilian control well beyond the point favored by even his own party's leaders and officeholders &mdash; even George W. Bush. <A NAME=politicsasusual></a><A NAME=Obama></a><A NAME=democrats><br><br><A HREF=#politicsasusual><font color=blue>#</font></A> &nbsp; <b>POLITICS IN LIEU OF STATESMANSHIP</b> <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; President Obama has followed through on his State of the Union pledge to <A HREF="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/85493.html">appoint a bipartisan commission</A> "to recommend ways to rein in the nation's escalating federal debt".<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It's a bad idea, and Obama has started off badly by picking a pair of crusty, cryogenically-preserved Washington insiders as co-chairs &mdash; Erskine Bowles, a faux Democrat who was President Bill Clinton's chief of staff fifteen years ago, and 78-year-old former Senator Alan Simpson (R-Wyoming). After their long and distinguished careers of service to lobbyists and corporations, if decrepit old farts like Bowles and Simpson can't be arrested shouldn't they at least be stored off-stage? <A NAME=STICKER: IRAQ.OUT.NOW></A><table border="0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="8" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="60%" align="right"><tr><td class="fonta" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><BR><a href=http://www.unknownnews.org/stickers.html><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/iraqoutnow.jpg" alt="Iraq. Out. Now." border="3" width="350" height="108"></a></td></tr></table> <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; In the none-too-distant future, probably in your children's lifetimes, a lot of people will be <A HREF="http://www.neurope.eu/articles/Obama-gives-8-billion-loan-guarantee-to-boost-nuclear-power/99160.php">sickened and killed by an infamous accident at one of the nuclear power plants</A> that couldn't have been built without the enthusiastic political support of President Barack Obama. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; Senator Charles Schumer (<font color="#cccccc">D</font>-New York) sadly says <A HREF="http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/82023-schumer-says-no-republicans-have-committed-to-jobs-bill">Democrats have yet to secure any Republican support for a jobs bill</A>, as if that's supposed to be a surprising statement or a collection of words that means something. Even among the asses of the Senate, Schumer has always seemed especially unwiped, and apparently nobody told him that Democrats have a <I>very large</i> majority in the Senate &mdash; they could pass legislation with <I>no</i> Republicans, even losing half a dozen Democrats along the way. But they won't.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I remember being happy, actually happy, when Democrats won control of the Senate in 2006, and happy again when Dems won an even larger majority in 2008. Seems a long, long time ago, when I foolishly imagined that Democrats might convert their numerical lead into, you know, some microscopic measure of leadership. A Kutcher-worthy punking, wouldn't you say? <A NAME=hooray></a><BR><BR><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="116" align="left"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><img src="http://unknownnews.org/hooray.jpg" alt="Hooray!" border="0" width="101" height="117"></td></tr></table> &diams;&nbsp; We give President Obama and the Democratic Party's leadership a lot of complaints because, let's face it, they deserve a lot of complaints. They're playing go-along-to-get-along and yielding on almost everything, when America desperately needs a complete about-face on any number of fronts &mdash; war and peace, civil rights, the environment, the economy, open government, on and on.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; But in the interest of fairness, we'll also <B><I>give Obama and the Democrats a pat on the back</i></B> when they get something right. This week... <BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ... Well, this week we looked and looked for something Obama or the Democrats got right, and didn't find diddlysquat. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://fafblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/mule-variations.html">The Medium Lobster</A>: "We know that Barack Obama, in his heart of hearts, truly wants Real Change. We can tell this by examining the furrows of his brow as he squints meaningfully into the middle distance, by carefully measuring the sincerity-per-pixel count of his campaign posters, by reflecting on the inspirational Martin Luther King quotes he delicately intones before carpet-bombing an Afghan village. But we also know that despite his best efforts, Barack Obama can't achieve Real Change, confounded as he is by such institutional barriers as Congress and the Pentagon and Barack Obama. We know, for example, that Barack Obama wants nothing less than a sweeping overhaul of America's health care system, but has been hopelessly blocked at every turn by conservative Democrats like Ben Nelson, Joe Lieberman and Barack Obama. And we know that Barack Obama did everything he could to oppose a trillion-dollar no-strings-attached bailout of a corrupt finance industry, but was helpless to stop it, boosted as it was by notorious corporate whore Barack Obama." <A NAME=JRMOONEYHAM></A><table border="0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="8" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="60%" align="right"><tr><td class="fonta" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><BR><TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=1><TR><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" bgcolor="#ffcc66" class="fonta"><DIV align="right"><small>(an unpaid plug)</small></div><BR><center>"A mind-blowing mix of fact and fantasy,<BR>hard science and well-grounded speculation,<BR>with concrete how-to info to top it all off<BR>&mdash; resulting in some of the best<BR>and strangest stuff on Earth..."<BR><BR><big><A TARGET="_blank" HREF="http://www.jrmooneyham.com">www.jrmooneyham.com</A></big></center> </td></tr></table></td></tr></table> <A NAME=reps></A><A NAME=republicans></A> <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; Bernard Kerik, who was George W. Bush's would-be Secretary of Homeland Security, <A HREF="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703315004575073491744312382.html?mod=googlenews_wsj">gets four years in prison</a>. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2010/02/ron-paul-wins-cpac-presidential-straw-poll/1">Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas) won the straw poll</A> for President at last week's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). By a landslide.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Of course, he couldn't possibly win the Republican nomination, since Paul has some principles. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-02-19/watch-cpacs-most-outrageous-moments/">Plenty of absolute crazy talk from right-wing big-wigs</a> at last week's CPAC, including several lines that would have been taken as treason if a left-leaner had said such things about Bush while he was President. Ah, but that would be different &mdash; to most of the right-wing, George W Bush was our President and a good Christian white man, while this current guy is just a darkie Muslim usurper. The bounds of decency in right-wing rhetoric are as hard to find as a spine in a Democrat. <A NAME=fakeoutrage></A><BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; In last week's fake Republican outrage, we saw the right-wing take great phony umbrage over the shocking notion that the President occasionally <A HREF="http://wonkette.com/413753/black-man-puts-his-feet-on-desk">puts his feet up on his Oval Office desk</a>, despite being black. <BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &bull; And it's sure hard to keep track of Sarah Palin's umbrage over retard and handicap cracks. She was furious when White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel was quoted as having allegedly used the word in a behind-the-scenes meeting, but she was OK with Rush Limbaugh using the word over and over again on 600+ radio stations because, she said, that was satire. Now the TV show <I>Family Guy</i> had a plotline about Down syndrome, and <A HREF="http://www.buddytv.com/articles/family-guy/family-guy-gone-wild-the-most-34616.aspx">Palin is angry again</a>. Of course, as <I>Family Guy</i> creator Seth McFarland explains, <A NAME=STICKER: WHO WOULD JESUS BOMB?></A><table border="0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="8" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="60%" align="right"><tr><td class="fonta" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><BR><a href=http://www.unknownnews.org/stickers.html><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/stickerwwjb.jpg" alt="Who would Jesus bomb?" border="3" width="350" height="108"></a></td></tr></table> "<A HREF="http://www.projo.com/tv/content/PEOPLE_FAMILY_GUY_02-17-10_OVHFT4B_v13.38ae075.html">From its inception, </i>Family Guy</i> has used biting satire as the foundation of its humor</A>. So what's the problem? I thought "satire" was OK with Mrs Palin, the nation's scold.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Also, <A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7zvGGSkLe0&">casting a smart actress with Down syndrome</a> to play the character just adds to the punchline. <BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &bull; Can't wait to see what next week's fake Republican outrage will be about. It's always something. <A NAME=freedom></A><br><br><A HREF=#freedom><font color=blue>#</font></A> &nbsp; <b>FREEDOM IS THE FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN&nbsp;RIGHT</b> <A NAME=gay></A> <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; In the state of Washington there's an initiative process for putting political questions on the ballot &mdash; gather tens of thousands of registered voters' signatures, and your question will be voted on. In 2009 an anti-gay group gathered enough signatures to put Referendum 71 to a vote, asking the state's voters to block a new state law granting gay couples the right to domestic partnerships (not marriage). Referendum 71 failed, but that's not the end of the story.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A key backer of R-71, a group called Protect Marriage Washington, is seeking to block the state's ordinary release of the names of voters who signed the petitions, claiming that they fear being harassed by homosexuals or something. The state has always released the huge lists of petition-signers as a matter of public records, and until now such releases have garnered little attention. Signing a petition doesn't necessarily mean the signer agrees with the petition's point of view, since signature collectors sometimes misrepresent the petition, some folks sign just to get petitioners out of their hair at the mall, and some people will sign any petition just to support the peoples' right to petition. I grew up in Washington, signed dozens of ballot petitions as a young adult, and I certainly never heard of any post-election harassment of petition-signers.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; You could, I suppose, argue that the routine release of the long list of petition-signers' names should be ended. Hey, circulate a petition and put it to a vote. But it's ludicrous to claim that the routine release of names should be blocked in this one case, just because the gays are so scary.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The US Supreme Court has <A HREF="http://gay.americablog.com/2010/02/supreme-court-will-hear-case-over.html">agreed to hear arguments in this matter</A>. Of course. The Supreme Court's five-man majority has been hostile to gay rights in the recent past, and my hunch is that they're looking for a chance to be hostile to gay rights again. <A NAME=STICKER: NO SPECIAL RIGHTS FOR HETEROSEXUALS></A><table border="0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="8" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="60%" align="right"><tr><td class="fonta" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><BR><a href=http://www.unknownnews.org/stickers.html><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/nsrheterosexuals.jpg" alt="No special rights for heterosexuals" border="3" width="350" height="108"></a></td></tr></table> <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; The state of Florida is again <A HREF="http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/1485940.html">spending tax dollars to try to break up a family</A>, by preventing a lesbian from adopting a child... because she's a lesbian. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; In Virginia, Gov Bob McDonnell (R) has issued an executive order that the state's hiring cannot discriminate "on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, religion, age, political affiliation, or against otherwise qualified persons with disabilities." And at the same time, he's rescinded an executive order from the previous Governor, which had done all that but also banned discrimination against gays.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Quick and easy translation: <A HREF="http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/02/virginia-gov-bob-mcdonnell-rolls-back-non-discrimination-protections-for-gay-state-workers.php">If you're gay in Virginia, that's grounds for termination or unemployment</A>. <A NAME=drugs></A> <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; In Chinese and Korean factories an icky, probably toxic chemical compound is sprayed onto a mixture of herbs and spices. The spray is supposedly "chemically similar" to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive substance that makes marijuana trippy, so you can buy the legal herbs and spices coated in gummy gook and smoke it and allegedly get high. All this is new enough that it isn't yet illegal, but <A HREF="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hhrocWpopbwneo54MKsW25e2gxDgD9DU50QG1">it will be soon</A>.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; There's no stopping the profit motive, no stopping people's natural urge to shuck off reality for a while, and there's no stopping the absurdity of the drug war that's entering its second century of futility. <!-- =CIVIL LIBERTIES 3.1 --> <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; Pennsylvania's Lower Merion School District is apparently quite white and wealthy, judging by the fact that they issued Webcam-equipped personal laptop computers to each of the district's approximately 1,800 high school students. According to a lawsuit, the district neglected to inform the families that <A HREF="http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/02/18/24789.htm">the computers' webcams could be turned on at any time by district officials</A>, to monitor anything that might be happening in front of the camera, without the students' knowledge. The school district insists it has only used its remote webcam controls a few dozen times, and <A HREF="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/19/AR2010021902004.html">only to find lost or stolen laptops</a>. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; Did you hear about the Camden cop whose <A HREF="http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/84368492.html">disabled son wasn't allowed to pass through airport security unless he took off his leg braces</A>? <A NAME=christianity></A><A NAME=religion></A> <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ken-starr16-2010feb16,0,464476.story">Kenneth Starr is the new President of Baylor University</A>. Starr's main claim to fame is that he headed the long-running investigation into then President Bill Clinton, taking it from the Whitewater mini-scandal to the semen stains on Monica Lewinsky's dress. His most important legal work is an relating Clinton's misdeeds, and he has more recently been involved in the legal work of making sure gays have fewer civil rights.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; He is, in short, a minor prince among the loons, and it's hard to see how hiring him as President of Baylor is anything but damaging to Baylor's reputation. Of course, I'm not the target audience, but until this morning I thought Baylor was a Christian college, with no sneer implied. A pretty decent school, I thought.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Now I understand that Baylor is a place where the bonkers bunch of insane Christians send their offspring to complete their indoctrination, another place like Oral Roberts University or <A HREF="http://www.nndb.com/people/558/000022492/">Jerry Falwell</a>'s Liberty University. Thanks, Baylor, for clearing that up. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington has <A HREF="http://trueslant.com/allisonkilkenny/2010/02/19/catholic-church-throws-children-under-the-bus-to-protest-marriage-equality/">ended its 80-year-old foster-care program</A> in the District rather than license same-sex couples, the first fallout from a bitter debate over the city s move to legalize same-sex marriage.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I grew up in a Christian church, and while I'm no Christian I retain a certain fondness for the sweeter aspects of Christianity. Like the Biblical Jesus, who always struck me as an impressive fellow before his teachings were twisted... an impressive fellow who's obviously of no interest to these Catholic officials. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; As the enormous (<A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/030817pedopriests.html">and Vatican-backed</a>) scandal of pedophile priests continues to be slowly unveiled, it's now in the headlines in Germany. And who, I ask you, who is to blame when priests rape children? Walter Mixa, one of Germany s most senior Catholic bishops, <A HREF="http://www.thelocal.de/national/20100216-25289.html">knows who's to blame</a>:<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  The so-called sexual revolution, in which some especially progressive moral critics supported the legalisation of sexual contact between adults and children, is certainly not innocent, he said, adding that the media was also at fault. <A NAME=world></A><br><br><A HREF=#world><font color=blue>#</font></A> &nbsp; <b>FROM BEYOND AMERICA'S BORDERS</b> <!-- &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; --> <BR><BR><!-- =Iran --><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="65" align="left"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><img src="http://unknownnews.org/flagIran.jpg" alt="Iran" border="1" width="50" height="30"></td></tr></table> &diams;&nbsp; Some inspectors at the UN's the International Atomic Energy Agency think <A HREF="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/18/AR2010021803378.html">Iran might be seeking to develop nuclear weapons capability</A>. Which sounds scary because it's supposed to sound scary, but of course, developing a <I>capacity</i> for nuclear weapons isn't the same as building nuclear weapons, and building nukes isn't the same as using nukes.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Also, this report "has not yet been approved by the board of governors of the IAEA", because this news isn't really about the news, it's about scaring you. This kind of scary but dishonest news will be the basis for many hysterical calls for sanctions and attacks and the deaths of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or millions.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; If you think nuclear weapons are a problem, congratulations on your common sense. Duh. But Iran is a nation, so it's hard to figure how Russia and China, France and India, and all the other nuclear-armed nations have the "right" to their nukes but Iran doesn't.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Nuclear weapons are bad, ummkay? But nukes are a problem that can only be solved by banning nuclear weapons, so let's get crackin' on that. Start by dismantling the scary nuclear weapons stockpile in Iran's bloodthirsty neighbor Israel, and the scary nuclear weapons stockpile in Israel's bloodthirsty ally America, and the scary nuclear weapons stockpiles in so many other nations of the world. <BR><BR><!-- =Iraq --><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="65" align="left"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><img src="http://unknownnews.org/flagIraq.jpg" alt="Iraq" border="1" width="50" height="30"></td></tr></table> &diams;&nbsp; The trickly, maddeningly-slow withdrawal from Iraq continues, and we're now told that <A HREF="http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100217/wl_mideast_afp/iraqusmilitary">a mere 98,000 US troops remain</A>. That's the smallest number since the invasion in 2003, and of course it doesn't include what's probably an almost equal number of mercenaries and contractors. <BR><BR><!-- =Israel=Palestine --><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="65" align="left"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><img src="http://unknownnews.org/flagIsraelPalestine.jpg" alt="Israel/Palestine" border="1" width="50" height="30"></td></tr></table> &diams;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://trueslant.com/allisonkilkenny/2010/02/16/creative-political-protest-done-right/">West Bank protesters go blue</A> à la <I>Avatar</i>. <BR><BR><!-- =Pakistan --><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="65" align="left"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><img src="http://unknownnews.org/flagPakistan.jpg" alt="Pakistan" border="1" width="50" height="30"></td></tr></table> &diams;&nbsp; <A HREF="Monday February 15,">Spencer Ackerman</a>: The Taliban s military commander has been captured in a joint Pakistani-U.S. intelligence raid. A high-five to Langley: this is one serious m*therf*cking success. Now it s really important we don t screw it all up by abusing Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The conservative response in America is predictably brain-dead: "<A HREF="http://rawstory.com/2010/02/beck-shoot-taliban-in-head/">Shoot him in the head</a>. <BR><BR><!-- =Canada--><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="65" align="left"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><img src="http://unknownnews.org/flagCanada.jpg" alt="Canada" border="1" width="50" height="30"></td></tr></table> &diams;&nbsp; If I lived in Canada, first off, I'd be very relieved to be out of the United States. And from that perspective Canadians ought to be concerned at the all-American stupidity of some mid-level foreign policy wonk saying  <A HREF="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/bureau-blog/an-attack-on-israel-would-be-considered-an-attack-on-canada/article1470211/">an attack on Israel would be considered an attack on Canada</A>. <BR><BR><!-- =Honduras --><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="65" align="left"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><img src="http://unknownnews.org/flagHonduras.gif" alt="Honduras" border="1" width="50" height="30"></td></tr></table> &diams;&nbsp; Business as usual in Honduras, with the <A HREF="http://brettonwoodsproject.org/art-565979">World Bank recognizing the post-coup government</A> and resuming lending. I haven't seen any detailed analysis from a reputable source claiming America was behind the coup, but I'll wager it was, and the Obama administration's opposition sure wilted quicker than a rose baked in an oven. <BR><BR><!-- =Mexico --><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="65" align="left"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><img src="http://unknownnews.org/flagMexico.jpg" alt="Mexico" border="1" width="50" height="30"></td></tr></table> &diams;&nbsp; Over a thousand people took to <A HREF="http://rawstory.com/2010/02/mexicans-juarez-streets-march-anger-drug-war/">the streets of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico last Sunday to protest</A> the city's record-setting crime wave, which civil rights groups say is made worse by the presence of some 6,000 Mexican soldiers in the war on drugs. <BR><BR><!-- =Greece--><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="65" align="left"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><img src="http://unknownnews.org/flagGreece.jpg" alt="Greece" border="1" width="50" height="30"></td></tr></table> &diams;&nbsp; Greek Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou has announced that effective in 2011, "every transaction above 1,500 euros between natural persons and businesses, or between businesses, <A HREF="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE61824V20100209">will not be considered legal if it is done in cash</A>. Transactions will have to be done through debit or credit cards". That's about $2,000 in US equivalence. <A NAME=health></A><BR><BR><A HREF=#health><font color=blue>#</font></A> &nbsp; <B>WHAT THEY'RE CALLING "HEALTH CARE REFORM"</B><br><br> <!-- health --><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="122" align="left"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><img src="http://unknownnews.org/healthish.jpg" alt="health care sucks in America" border="0" width="102" height="127"></td></tr></table>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; On those rare occasions when Republicans offer an idea, it's usually a bad one, and here we go again. One Republican idea that won't go away in health care reform is opening up insurance sales across state lines. Which is <A HREF="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_02/022493.php">phenomonally stupid, even by Republican standards</A>. Nothing new in this explanation of the <i>why</i> it's so stupid, but it's succinct and to the point. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; Rep. Eric Massa (D-New York) told supporters this week that <A HREF="http://news.firedoglake.com/2010/02/19/massa-health-cares-dead-time-to-play-small-ball/">a comprehensive health care reform bill would not pass</A>, and the best alternative option would be to get Republicans on the record with a series of smaller bills, building incrementally to a full set of reforms. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/insuranceprospers/index.html">US Department of Health & Human Services</A>: "Recently, Anthem Blue Cross of California, an insurance company owned by the for-profit company WellPoint, Inc, announced that its individual market premiums would rise by as much as 39 percent in the coming months. This shocking increase isn t unique. Across the country, families have seen their premiums skyrocket in recent years, and experts predict these increases will continue. Sandy Praeger, a leader of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, predicts that we will  see rate increases of 20, 25, 30 percent. <BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "These massive increases are disturbing examples of the problems that make reforming our health insurance system more important than ever." <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; In  virtually every state , reports the <I>New York Times</i>, there's <A HREF="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/19/us/politics/19medicaid.html?hp">serious talk of slashing Medicaid</A> as a response to the budget crises. (Login as <i>unknownnews</i> with password <i>unknown</i>.) <A NAME=STICKER: ISN'T THERE SOMETHING IN THE BIBLE?></A><table border="0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="8" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="60%" align="right"><tr><td class="fonta" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><BR><a href=http://www.unknownnews.org/stickers.html><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/isnttheresomething.jpg" alt="Isn't there something in the Bible about NOT screwing over the poor?" border="3" width="350" height="108"></a></td></tr></table> <BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Translation: The people who've benefited the least from the federal government's increasing orgy of corporate control will again be kicked in the nuts as part of the bipartisan party. Man, one day the rabble will rise, and I hope I'm alive and well enough to do my share and a little more. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; This week we'll finally see the grand hyped televised bipartisan summit on health care reform, which seems almost certain to be a grand hyped waste of time. President Obama will again reach out for Republican support on health care reform, support that isn't needed to pass a bill and won't be forthcoming. For going through this waste of time he'll be criticized long and loud for ignoring Republicans' suggestions, though it's already obvious that far too many of the Republicans' foolhardy suggestions have been incorporated into the lousy legislation that's pending.<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; And the longer Dems dither, the more Americans will die for lack of health care.<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; So here's the bottom line for this piece of crap health care reform: It's better than nothing. If Democrats pass it and sell it to the public they'll probably lose less than 25 seats in Congress this fall. If they let it die they'll lose 50, and lose control of the House, without having done a damned thing with the numerical advantage they've had. <A NAME=environment></a><BR><BR><A HREF=#environment><font color=blue>#</font></A> &nbsp; <B>PLANETARY PROBLEMS</B> <!-- =Environment --><!-- global warming --><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="142" align="right"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="right" width="100%"><img src="http://unknownnews.org/globalwarming.jpg" alt="global climate change" border="1" width="128" height="94"></td></tr></table><BR><BR> &diams;&nbsp; The well-funded, big-money liars are enjoying another successful PR round, as <A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PWDFzWt-Ag&">their latest lies pretending that global climate change is a hoax</A> are being repeated everywhere in major and minor media. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2010/02/subtropical-waters-reach-greenland">Subtropical waters are reaching Greenland's glaciers</A>, driving melting and likely triggering an acceleration of ice loss. It's the first time researchers have seen such warm waters in any Greenland fjord. <A NAME=corporations></a><BR><BR><A HREF=#corporations><font color=blue>#</font></A> &nbsp; <B>GOVERNMENT&nbsp;OF&nbsp;THE&nbsp;CORPORATIONS, BY&nbsp;THE&nbsp;CORPORATIONS, FOR&nbsp;THE&nbsp;CORPORATIONS</B> <A NAME=fascism></a><BR><table border="0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="8" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="60%" align="right"><tr><td class="fonta" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=1><TR><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" class="fonta"><B>fascism</B> : a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition<BR><DIV align="right"><A HREF="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fascism">Merriam-Webster</a> </div></td></tr></table></tr></td></table><br> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/32255149/wall_streets_bailout_hustle/print">Matt Taibbi</a>: "In an economy as horrible as ours, with every factory town between New York and Los Angeles looking like those hollowed-out ghost ships we see on History Channel documentaries like Shipwrecks of the Great Lakes, where in the hell did Wall Street's eye-popping profits come from, exactly?"<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; The giant and criminal banks, bailed out and never punished, have set aside $140-billion for their next round of bonuses. Not coincidentally, the same banks continue their <A HREF="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/7259323/US-bank-lending-falls-at-fastest-rate-in-history.html">screw-you reluctance to issue loans</a>.<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; Bailout, schmailout, GM's new CEO Ed Whitacre, Jr. &mdash; who has no experience in the auto industry &mdash; <A HREF="http://www.freep.com/article/20100219/BUSINESS0101/100219045/1318/GMs-Whitacre-to-earn-9-million-Henderson-hired-as-a-consultant">will be paid upwards of $9-million</a>. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; After being plagued with massive meat recalls in 2007 and 2009, agri-giant Cargill has set up a "<A HREF="http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/02/cargill-adds-another-set-of-eyes-for-food-safety/">third-party remote video auditing program to monitor food safety practices</A>".<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Common sense check, please: Who's paying these third-party inspectors? Cargill. So unless these inspectors want to annoy the people writing their paychecks, there's no chance at all that they'll spot any safety changes that cost Cargill money. If you want safe meat, the inspectors have to be provided by the government. So we're still following our own beef safety program, by avoiding beef. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; Former Fed Chair Paul Volcker says <A HREF="http://motherjones.com/mojo/2010/02/failing-big-banks-euthanize-em">"too big to fail" banks should be euthanized</a>. Just for saying it, I withdraw a few of my many "Volker's a son of a bitch" statements (but the bulk of those statements remain in force). <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_education_edblog/2010/02/seminole-school-dodges-trademark-infringement-bullet.html">Chrysler has sent a cease and desist demand</A> to a high school in a small Florida town, because the school's sports mascot looks like the Dodge Ram.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; How stupid is this? How stupid is stupid? How stupid can stupid be? Every time I think companies like Chrysler could not possibly be run any stupider, I am gobsmacked again by the proof that they can always be stupider, and stupider, and stupider.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://grumpyforester.blogspot.com/2010_02_14_archive.html#2399412600861635303">Jack K.'s take on this</a> at <I>Grumpy Forester</I> is spot on: "If I were the CEO of Ford Motor Company, I would fly economy class or drive a Toyota Prius or hitchhike on a Chevy car carrier or make whatever travel arrangements necessary to get to the next meeting of the Lake Mary school board so that I may suggest that maybe they could be Mustangs, instead of Rams, and I would offer to license my company's Mustang symbol to them for 10 bucks a year. I would sweeten the deal by offering to pay for the expense (estimated by the Principal to be many, many tens of thousands of dollars) necessary to expunge all evidence of the offending Rams logo from the school campus. Tee shirts, backpacks, and benches for everyone!! Gymnasium center court logo needs to be replaced? Done!!" <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; Nestlé has confirmed <A HREF="http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/02/19/Nestle-confirms-salmonella-found-at-plant/UPI-51101266598058/">salmonella at its chocolate factory</a> in Wisconsin, and the real news here is that Nestlé is still making chocolate in America. Who knew? <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; The Spanish wind-power company Ingeteam will build <A HREF="http://www.jsonline.com/business/84382807.html">its first American factory in Milwaukee</A>.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I love the part of the story where a factor in the Spanish execs' decision in choosing a site was that they wanted to be near a Spanish-speaking neighborhood. We've got plenty of those in Wisconsin. The politicians always say it but never mean it, but it's true &mdash; America's diversity is a strength, dang it. <A NAME=journalism></a><BR><BR><A HREF=#journalism><font color=blue>#</font></A> &nbsp; <b>IS THIS JOURNALISM?</b> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="120" align="RIGHT"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><img src="http://unknownnews.org/blogging.jpg" border="1" alt="This be journalism?" width="100" height="95"></td></tr></table><br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; The <A HREF="http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2010/02/cia_hit_lists.html"><I>Washington Post</I> has issued a minor correction</A> to its report earlier this month, that both the CIA and the Joint Special Operations Command of the Department of Defense (JSOC) are authorized to kill Americans. Turns out only the JSOC is ready to kill at a moment's notice, or so it's alleged. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; The <I>Washington Post</i> continues going to extraordinary rhetorical lengths to <A HREF="http://www.fair.org/blog/2010/02/16/washington-posts-tortured-euphemisms/">avoid telling readers that <I>torture</i> is at the heart of the problem</A> with prosecuting alleged terrorists. Why, you could read the <I>Post</i> for years and think you're getting the news and never be told about American torture. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; The <I>Post</I>, meanwhile, has added <A HREF="http://mediamatters.org/research/201002170028">yet another conservative columnist with a track record of telling lies</A>. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.nndb.com/media/162/000117808/"><i>The National Enquirer</i></a> is <A HREF="http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheat-sheet/item/national-enquirer-in-running-for-pulitzer/tabloid-triumph/?cid=cs:headline6">up for a Pulitzer Prize</A>, it's been rumored and the almost-as-awful <I>Huffington Post</i> reports. It would be amusing if the <I>Enquirer</i> won, and it would help expose the Pulitzers as what they are, an overpuffed backscratching award. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/02/18/nyt/index.html">Glenn Greenwald</A>: "What bizarre behavior from the <I>New York Times</i>: it publishes an extremist, repellent op-ed calling, in essence, for the deaths of more innocent Afghans and accusing the Obama administration of sacrificing the lives of American troops due to excessive concern about civilians, all while providing basically no information about the author and allowing her vaguely to refer to a "defense consulting company" for whom she works while concealing its identity. There's no way to assess her credentials, her expertise, her employment, her motives, her possible conflicts &mdash; nothing. In short, the NYT allows her to spout extremely ugly and inflammatory claims on its Op-Ed page under the cover of alleged expertise, while concealing even the most basic information about her credentials, employment and professional background. What kind of journalistic standards are those?" <A NAME=STICKER: WANT TO SUPPORT OUR TROOPS?></A><table border="0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="8" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="60%" align="right"><tr><td class="fonta" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><BR><a href=http://www.unknownnews.org/stickers.html><img src=" http://www.unknownnews.net/stupidwars.jpg" alt="Want to support our troops? Stop sending them on stupid wars." border="3" width="350" height="108"></a></td></tr></table> <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; It is increasingly rare to read mainstream professional journalism that simply tells the truth, so this deserves some attention: McClatchey's Steve Thomma reports that Gov Tim Pawlenty made a wisecrack about Obama using a telepromter to address a class full of schoolkids, and <A HREF="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/86508.html">points out plainly and unambiguously that it's untrue</A>.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; If we had a McClatchey newspaper I'd subscribe just to say thank you, but of course, if we had a McClatchey newspaper in this town we'd already be subscribing. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; This week, a couple of conservative hosts on the Fox Business Channel <A HREF="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_02/022513.php">seemed deeply concerned about premium rate hikes</A> from California's Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. They weren't troubled by what the increases would mean for consumers &mdash; they were concerned that the increased burden on Americans might make health care reform more likely to happen. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; Through some sort of massive procedural screw-up at <I>Meet the Press</i> last week, <A HREF="http://www.bobcesca.com/blog-archives/2010/02/rachel_maddow_o.html">Rachel Maddow was allowed to insert about twenty seconds of honesty</A> into a bullsh*t discussion of the ongoing attempt by Republicans and bipartisan Democrats to scuttle the American system of justice. Of course, the show's host, David Gregory, promptly steered the conversation back toward the bullsh*t and broke for a commercial. <!-- =PERSONAL--> <A NAME=STICKER: BLOOD ON THE HANDS></A><table border="0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="8" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="60%" align="right"><tr><td class="fonta" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><BR><a href=http://www.unknownnews.org/stickers.html><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/Bloodontheirhands.jpg" alt="The blood is on the hands of those who lied, those who spread the lies, and those who voted for the liars." border="3" width="350" height="108"></a></td></tr></table> <A NAME=leftovers></a><!-- =personal --><BR><BR><A HREF=#leftovers><font color=blue>#</font></A> &nbsp; <B>LEFTOVERS AND<br>STUPIDITY FOR DESSERT</B> <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; A brief personal intrusion from the side of me who's a huge fan of good movies, and thus an admirer of Quentin Tarantino. The movie theater where Tarantino first saw most of his favorite movies, a theater that specializes in ever-changing offbeat double features, has long been underwritten and <A HREF="http://hollywoodreporter.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=Quentin+Tarantino+saves+L.A.+theater&expire=&urlID=421072820&fb=Y&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com%2Fhr%2Fcontent_display%2Fnews%2Fe3i6baa5818ddcc27e15e669ccb81a30ecf%3Fpn%3D1&partnerID=3690">now is owned by Mr Tarantino</A>. He pledges that "As long as I'm alive, and as long as I'm rich, the New Beverly will be there, showing double features in 35mm".<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Yeah, baby. Every city should have a place like <A HREF="http://www.newbevcinema.com/calendar.cfm">the New Beverly</a> (where I once saw <I>Blade Runner</I>), and every place like the New Beverly should have a Tarantino. You're not really seeing a motion picture if you're watching it on your DVD player or cell phone &mdash; to really see a motion picture you have to see it in a motion picture theater, sharing the emotions with a roomful of strangers, looking at a screen several times taller than you are, and hearing it with a high-tech sound system that's better than the sound of reality. <!-- =INFRASTRUCTURE 3.8--> <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; If you're a transit geek like me, you might enjoy the Human Transit blog's fascinating look at <A HREF="http://www.humantransit.org/2010/02/driverless-rapid-transit-why-it-matters.html">driver-less elevated trains in Vancouver</A>. Get rid of the driver, of course, and you've gotten rid of the biggest ongoing expense in transit systems. The real drawback, as briefly mentioned, is security &mdash; when a bunch of trash-talking hoodlums get on the train, it's psychologically reassuring to know there's a human driver who might intervene or call the cops if necessary... but in practice it's usually been my experience that drivers are utterly deaf, by choice, to any ruckus or ruffians on board. <A NAME=stupidity></A> <BR><BR><!-- flat line --><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="242" align="right"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><img src="http://unknownnews.org/flatline.jpg" alt="Poopybrains on parade" border="1" width="227" height="86"></td></tr></table>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; Nearly a third of Texans believe <A HREF="http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/35818_Poll-_Majority_of_Texans_Reject_Evolution">humans and dinosaurs roamed the earth at the same time</A>, and more than half disagree with the theory that humans developed from earlier species of animals, according to the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. <!-- =HATTIP--><BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &diams;&nbsp; <I>Unknown News</i> is updated once weekly, usually on Mondays. It's our attempt to spotlight news that was underplayed, ignored, or simply lost in the non-stop news cycle. <A HREF="http://unknownnews.org/bighowdy.html">Have a seat and some cheese puffs</A> but please, no smoking. <BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A tip o' the hat to Daniel D., the letter Z, AK for CSS help, <A HREF="http://www.jrmooneyham.com">JR Mooneyham</A>, <A HREF="http://badattitudes.com/MT/">Bad Attitudes</a>, <A HREF="http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/">Little Green Footballs</A>, <A HREF="http://carlosmiller.com/">Photography is Not a Crime</A>, <A HREF="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/">Right Wing Watch</A>, <A HREF="http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/">Pharyngula</a>, <A HREF="http://theagitator.com/">The Agitator</A>, <A HREF="http://eandpinexile.blogspot.com/">E & P in Exile</A>, <A HREF="http://prorev.com/indexa.htm">Progressive Review</A>, <A HREF="http://bobcesca.com/">Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog</A>, <A HREF="http://www.newsfromme.com/">News from Me</a>, <A HREF="http://grumpyforester.blogspot.com/">The Grumpy Forester</A>, <!-- Feb -->Jim B., Sherri B., Cassandra, Joseph D., Joe G., Lon Garm, J.S. (not the Watergate felon) Magruder at <A HREF="http://www.eattheblog.blogspot.com/">Eat the Blog</A>, Andrea O., HughBris, SirJ, Comrade Q., Bill T., wlgriffi, our first web-home at <A HREF="http://pitas.com/">pitas.com</a> (1999-2003, and still a great place for publishing your blog), and the love of my life (who prefers to remain anonymous). <BR><A NAME=dialogue></A><BR><TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="middle" WIDTH="23%" class="fonta"><A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/1002-15.html"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.org/leftarrow.jpg" alt="arrow pointing left" border="0" width="75" height="11"><BR>Older news</A><BR><BR><BR><A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/1002-15-d.html#dialogue"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.org/leftarrow.jpg" alt="arrow pointing left" border="0" width="75" height="11"><BR>Older comments</A></TD><TD ALIGN="center"VALIGN="middle" WIDTH="54%" class="fonta">Compiled by Helen &amp; Harry Highwater<BR><A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.org/logo.gif" alt="UNKNOWN NEWS" width="150" height="31" border="0"></A><BR><A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/1002-22.html">Monday, Feb. 22, 2010</A></TD><TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="middle" WIDTH="23%" class="fonta"><A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/1003-01.html"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/rightarrow.jpg" alt="arrow pointing right" border="0" height="10" width="75"><BR>Newer news</A><BR><BR><BR><A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/1003-01-d.html#dialogue"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/rightarrow.jpg" alt="arrow pointing right" border="0" height="10" width="75"><BR>Newer comments</A></TD></TR></TABLE><BR> <TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="625" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="560" class="fonta"><BIG><B><I><A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/1002-22-d.html#dialogue"><font color=blue>Post comments</font></a></I></B></BIG><BR><BR><SPAN class="fonta">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <I>We welcome readers' comments, questions, or criticisms. Javascript is required, spam won't be tolerated, we're impatient with wingnuttery, and our readers are too intelligent to insult each other. Comments will ordinarily appear instantly, but during times when we're flooded with comments from cranks and kooks there might be a delay for publishers' approval.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; We also publish incoming emails that seem pertinent. If it's not intended for publication please say so plainly.</i><DIV align="right"><I>Helen & Harry Highwater</i></TD></TR></TABLE><BR> <BR><center><HR NOSHADE width="535">Recommended sites for gathering unknown or underreported news:<BR> &nbsp;<A TARGET="_blank" HREF="http://mediamatters.org/">Media&nbsp;Matters</A>&nbsp; &nbsp;<A TARGET="_blank" HREF="http://www.propublica.org/">Pro&nbsp;Publica</A>&nbsp; &nbsp;<A TARGET="_blank" HREF="http://thinkprogress.org">ThinkProgress</A>&nbsp; &nbsp;<A TARGET="_blank" HREF="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/">Washington&nbsp;Monthly</A>&nbsp; &nbsp;<A TARGET="_blank" HREF="http://www.truthout.org/">TruthOut</A>&nbsp; <HR NOSHADE width="535"></center><BR> <A NAME=thanksmore></A><center><TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="300" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" class="fonty"> <center><iframe src="http://www.unknownnews.org/support-wide.html" width="600" height="550" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></center></TD></TR></TABLE></center> <center><BR>© &nbsp; 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<A TARGET="_blank" HREF="http://www.twitter.com/unknownnews"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/twitter.jpg" alt="Follow us on Twitter" border="1" width="54" height="54"></A> </TD></TR></TABLE> <A NAME=casualties-box></A> <TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="290" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" bgcolor=black WIDTH="100%" class="fonty"> <iframe src="http://www.unknownnews.org/casualtieslog.html" width="100%" height="115" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe> </TD></TR></TABLE> <A NAME=today></A><A NAME=wdwb></A><BR> <TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="8" WIDTH="295" border=1><TR><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="300" bgcolor=white class="fonta">Like the URL says, this website is about unknown news.<BR><BR>We present a concise once-weekly wrap-up of news that was underplayed, ignored, or simply lost in the non-stop news cycle. Our news comes only from mainstream, professional journalists or (rarely) other sources we trust entirely, with <A HREF="#nothanks"><font color=blue>no nuttiness</font></a> and no interest in the same news you see everywhere else.<BR><BR><center><BIG><B>What we believe</B></BIG></center><BR> We believe in liberty and justice for all, so of course, we oppose many US government policies. This doesn't mean we're anti-American, redneck scum, pinko commies, militia members, or terrorist-sympathizers. It means we believe in freedom, as more than merely a cliché. <BR><BR> We believe you have the right to live your own life as you choose, and others have the equal right to live <I>their</I> lives as <I>they</I> choose. It's not complicated.<BR><BR>We believe freedom leads to peace, progress, and prosperity, while its opposite -- oppression -- leads to war, terrorism, poverty, and misery. <BR><BR> We believe it's preposterously stupid to hate people because of their appearance, their race or nationality, their religion or lack of religion, how they have sex with other consenting adults, etc. There are far more apropos reasons to hate most people. <BR><BR> We believe in questioning ourselves, our assumptions, each other -- and we especially believe in questioning authority (the more authority, the more questions). We believe obedience is a fine quality in dogs and young children, but not in adults. <BR><BR> Like America's right-wingers, we believe in individual responsibility, hard work to get ahead, and stern punishment for serious crimes. We believe big government should not be blindly trusted.<BR><BR> But unlike most right-wing leaders, we mean it. <BR><BR> Like America's left-wingers, we believe in equal treatment under law, war as a last (not first) resort, and sensible stewardship of natural resources. We believe big business should not be blindly trusted.<BR><BR>But unlike most left-wing leaders, we mean it. <BR><BR> Like libertarians, we believe it's wrong and <I>reprehensible</i> to arrest people for what they think, believe, look like, wear, eat, smoke, drink, inhale, inject, or otherwise do to themselves. <BR><BR> But unlike many libertarians, we're not obsessed with the gold standard, we don't believe incorporation is humanity's highest achievement, and we don't believe everything in life comes down to dollars and cents. We've read and enjoyed Ayn Rand's novels, but we understand that they're works of fiction.<BR><BR> We're skeptical, and we're sick of so-called 'journalists' who aren't skeptical at all. <BR><BR>A reader asks, what are our solutions?<BR><BR>We propose no solutions except common sense, which is never common. We like the principles of democracy, and the ideals broadly described as 'American'. The US Constitution is a fine and workable framework for solutions, when it's actually read and thoughtfully understood by intelligent statesmen and women. So, no manifestos from us. We don't dream that big, and if there's one thing the world <i>doesn't</i> need it's yet another manifesto.<BR><BR>Our suggestion is: think.<BR><BR>A fact-based instead of faith-based approach leads to solutions for most of the recurring issues of our time, from abortion to global climate change, pollution to universal health care, careful but real regulation of industry and economy, hunger, war, terror, human rights for humans not for corporations, science not religious doctrine in public schools, equal protection and prosecution under law, etc. Approach problems without glorifying stupidity, without demonizing intelligence, and answers usually come into focus. <BR><BR> These pages are published by <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.net/bighowdy.html">Harry and Helen Highwater</A>, happily married low-income nom de plumes and rabble-rousers from Madison, Wisconsin (with a few friends scattered around the world helping out). <BR><BR> We try to spotlight news that hasn't gotten enough (or appropriate) attention in American media, along with our opinions and yours. <BR><BR> We bang our keyboards against the wall, because it doesn't hurt as much as banging our heads. <BR><BR><center><A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/bighowdy.html"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/Highwaters-oldtime.jpg" border="3" width="199" height="277"></A></center><BR> <DIV align="right"><i><A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/contact.html">Helen &amp; 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